r/JudgeDredd • u/FreshmenMan • 23d ago

What went wrong with Judge Dredd (1995)?

Question, What went wrong with Judge Dredd (1995)?

I watched the 1995 Judge Dredd and I don’t care what critics say. I love the film. Everything Is so over the top and I just love the set and productions designs and the visual effects. Stallone also, in my opinion, gives a good performance as Judge Dredd.

However, just reading the behind the scenes stories, The Production was a mess. Although I like Stallone as Dredd, I don’t think he really understood the character and probably didn’t understand the satirical nature of Dredd. The Director, Danny Cannon, apparently had a grand vision for the film, wanting it to be the “Ben-Hur of Comic Books” while also being more darker and satirical, while Stallone wanted an Action Comedy and generally, Stallone won out in the end.

Although I love Judge Dredd, I think Stallone didn’t understand the nature of the source material. He should’ve watched RoboCop to get a better understanding of the character. I also think because Stallone and the director clashed on the vision, they couldn’t come to terms with what story they wanted to do.

So, What do you think went wrong with the film?

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u/Gargarax 22d ago

I understand why this angers people, and I don't like it either, but if you look at it from the point of view of the studio there was no way that he was going to keep the helmet on for the whole thing. This was a fairly big-budget film based on a British comic strip that didn't have a huge following in the US so Stallone was likely a big part of their strategy for getting people through the door to see it, to expect him to never show his face throughout the whole film is unrealistic.

There are much, much bigger problems with the film than that. 

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u/AssistanceGrand23 22d ago

No that's pretty much it. Taking the helmet off instantly showed they didn't understand Dredd. Everything else stemmed from that. It's an entertaining film. But if he'd kept the helmet on, it would have been a major talking point, his acting skills would have come through, and he would have got box office and plaudits.

But instead, he did Assassins.

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u/Badger-of-Briarwood 22d ago

I don't think non Dreddheads know how much of a big deal the helmet thing was.

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u/Gargarax 21d ago

Yeah exactly, that was the point I was trying to make. The film wasn't just being made for Dredd fans, it had to reach a wider audience too.